prayeramedic.com » Persecution

The worst persecution you can possibly deal with…

Dan — Wed, 05 May 2010 08:30:28 +0000

I was reading Veith’s blog, and he posed a profound question:

… Even worse than living as a Christian in an anti-Christian culture is living in a culture where Christianity is tolerated…. [Here is] a quotation from Luther: “No persecution is the ultimate persecution.” Why is that so?

That’s a great question. Why is no persecution the worst kind of persecution you can undergo? Has this proven true in today’s society?

Christophobia

Dan — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:30:59 +0000

It seems that Christophobia is rampant these days. Nothing causes such a stir as two simple words: “Jesus Christ.” Have you ever noticed that if a chaplain closes a prayer “in Jesus’ name,” it makes headlines, but if a religious leader prays to Allah, Benevolent Spirit, Jehovah, etc. no one bats an eye? Why is it that when people hit their thumb with a hammer they yell “JESUS CHRIST!” They don’t yell “BUDDHA” or “ALLAH!” It just doesn’t happen very often. It makes one wonder….

The folks who seem to fear the most when the politically incorrect name of Jesus is invoked are Christians. That’s the ironic part. I know lots of Christians who almost cringe at the mention of Jesus’ name in so-called “secular” realms.

And we seem to excuse this behavior. We seem to empathize when people hide their affiliation with Christ for job security, or to maintain a “normal” social image. Aside from DC Talk, no one wants to be labeled a “Jesus freak.”

[Jesus said,] “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26).

I sometimes wonder if those who fear the name of Jesus really understand the profoundness of the Gospel. I wonder if they really know the depths of His love.

Sometimes they are unable to know the depths of His love because they do not know the depths of their sin. If your sin is small, then your Savior will also be small. But when we recognize how depraved we really are, we can only exclaim with St. Paul,

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

“Everyone” includes you and me. Everyone includes your coworkers, the media, your students, your teachers, your boss, your family, your friends, and your neighbors. How can we pray for the Gospel to be spread when we are ashamed of it? Political correctness is part of our (fallen) culture. We are called to remain “aliens and strangers in the world” (1 Peter 2:11), to be in the world but not of it (John 17:13-18). At times this will involve breaking cultural taboos. Even if it costs us our jobs or our very lives.

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:35).

But take heart, we have a great and loving God. Be thankful.

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” (1 Timothy 1:7-14).

Powerful Missions Video

Dan — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:43:16 +0000

God is the Gospel

Dan — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 03:20:03 +0000

The early church was persecuted heavily, particularly under the reign of Nero (who fed Christians to the lions in the Coliseum). How must have early followers preached to attract so many new followers to the faith in such a difficult time? Why would anyone come to faith in Christ when it meant almost certain death? Perhaps they knew of a hope that we only hint at these days. One thing is for sure, they didn’t preach the American Gospel which is summed up in the words on the bottom of this picture!

So what is the Gospel? Let’s allow the apostle Paul to answer that question (from 1 Corinthians 15):

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

The Gospel is not a set of belief statements. It is not a magic formula nor a rite. It is not a sales pitch or presentation. It’s not a new standard of moral conduct. It’s not even a paradigm shift. The Gospel is a person. Gospel means “good news,” and the news is the person and work of Jesus Christ. As John Piper has profoundly pointed out, God is the Gospel!

If you would like to know more about the Gospel, be sure to visit my page on the subject. This page is always available as a link from the very top of any page on this blog.

I saw this photo at JollyBlogger.

Remember Those Who Are Being Persecuted…

Dan — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:07:00 +0000

Daniel and Heather offered a great reminder of the persecution going on around the world at their blog, Like a Mustard Seed. I almost wept when I read it, check it out. We need these reminders.

In the comments, I wrote “Wow, this post almost had me in tears. I am ashamed that it did not evoke me to weep, my American comfortable numbness set in too quickly. Wow. I need this perspective daily. Lord forgive me for not considering your servants who truly know what it is to suffer for your name.

It’s really humbling, and angering. It angers me how complacent I have become. Most Most Christians in America think that wearing a Christian T-Shirt is living out loud for Jesus, and look at what Rachel and Ali have gone through just to meet privately. Wow….”

Read the post at Like a Mustard Seed. . . .

House Church Leaders Persecuted

Canadian government to pastor: Renounce your faith!

Dan — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:49:00 +0000

This is why I oppose “hate-speech” legislation: It’s not a matter of being anti-gay (or homophobic), but of supporting free speech and religious liberty!

From WorldNetDaily:

A Canadian human rights tribunal ordered a Christian pastor to renounce his faith and never again express moral opposition to homosexuality, according to a new report.

In a decision dated May 30 in the penalty phase of the quasi-judicial proceedings run by the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal, evangelical pastor Stephen Boisson was banned from expressing his biblical perspective of homosexuality and ordered to pay $5,000 for “damages for pain and suffering” as well as apologize to the activist who complained of being hurt….

… Boisson wrote a letter to the editor of his local Red Deer, Alberta, newspaper in 2002 denouncing the advance of homosexual activism as “wicked” and stating: “Children as young as five and six years of age are being subjected to psychologically and physiologically damaging pro-homosexual literature and guidance in the public school system; all under the fraudulent guise of equal rights.”

Wow. Guess what? This “hate crime” legislation is coming to America soon! Believers need to be prepared for gay activists to sue them over “hate speech.”

This is ridiculous, but it is the world we live in today. If you don’t like what I have to say, ignore it and move on! I am offended by Brokeback Mountain, but I’m not suing the producer! Tolerance is a two way street, why does no one seem to understand that? What do you think about this?

Israeli Students Burn New Testaments

Dan — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:58:00 +0000

From the Jerusalem Post:

The burning of hundreds of New Testaments by yeshiva students in Or Yehuda last week was regrettable and unplanned, the city’s deputy mayor, the man who spurred the students to act, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

Deputy Mayor Uzi Aharon of Shas used the opportunity of speaking to the Post, which publishes a monthly Christian Edition, to apologize to Christians worldwide, saying he hoped the incident would not inflame tensions between Jews and Christians.

Following the publication of the story on Tuesday, however, many messianic Jewish and other Christian groups expressed grave concern over the increasingly violent nature of anti-missionary activity in Israel.

I just wanted to bring this to your attention, it’s been all over the news in Europe and other nations, not in the U.S. though. Hmm?

House Church Leaders Persecuted

Dan — Sun, 11 May 2008 03:02:00 +0000

Some would argue that American Christians are persecuted for their faith, but in reality, we’ve got it easy. Most Christians think that wearing a Christian T-Shirt is living out loud for Jesus. Listen to this report, just in from Christian Newswire:

China has been intensifying its campaign against the House Church Christians recently. CAA learned that in the morning of May 8 (Beijing Time), three house church leaders in Shandong province were detained while organizing a Bible study group. One pastor from Taiwan was expelled from China immediately. He will not be allowed to come back to China for 5 years. Meanwhile, four other church leaders from the same province have been detained since the beginning of May. One pastor from Jilin province was beaten up on May 4 for his independent church activities.

According to eyewitness reports, at approximately 11:30am, about 30 church leaders from different provinces of China were raided at a rented house at Qingzhou City Shandong province while having a three-day Bible study led by a pastor from Taiwan. Over 20 officers from PSB and Religious Affairs Bureau of both Weifang and Qingzhou city riding in 6 police vehicles carried out the raid. They declared the meeting an “illegal gathering” because it was not registered. All of the church leaders were forced to register their ID numbers and home addresses. 23 of them are students who are studying church worship music in a school run by the local House Churches.

One local House Church pastor told CAA after he was released that 28 year old pastor Zhang Yongliang who is the organizer of both the music school and the Bible study was detained along with his parents. When Zhang’s father was beaten by the PSB during the raid, Zhang’s mom tried to talk to the police, then both of them were detained for the charge of “obstruction of justice.”

The PSB also confiscated all of the music instruments and one computer from the church music school.

CAA also learned one House Church pastor in Yanji city, Jilin province was beaten up and wounded on May 4. Pastor Hao Yuji was arrested by the PSB of Yanji city while he was preaching in his church that day. He was told by the PSB officials he should dissolve his church. When pastor Hao asked why, he was beaten up. Both his head and chest were wounded. Pastor Hao left the government sanctioned corrupted Three-Self church and established a House Church a few years ago.

Moreover, in Jiaxiang County Shandong province four House Church Christian leaders have been detained. 25-year-old Ms.Qiao Lei and 24-year-old Ms. Wang Qin were arrested at Yantun village, Wangtun town by the PSB of Jiaxiang Couty for being accused as being ‘evil cult members’; on May 3, another two Christians Mr. Cao Guanggen and Mr. Jin Heshui(42-year-old) were also detained. All four are still being held at the PSB office of Jiaxiang county.

The Chinese government has been intensifying its crackdown against House Church Christians recently because of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. CAA urges the Chinese government to immediately release these detained innocent House Church pastors and believers.

I don’t mean to play a sour note, but I think it is important not to be ignorant of the religious persecution going on around the world. And this story is only the tip of the iceberg. I read stories daily from various RSS feeds and emails I get from missionary organizations around the world, and it really makes me think. We really have no clue what it is to be persecuted for our faith.

Do American Christians appreciate the freedom that we have? Do we take our liberty to pray and publicly preach the gospel for granted? Have you ever felt genuinely persecuted for the sake of the gospel?

Couple fined $6,000 for refusing to take photos

Dan — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 23:05:00 +0000

I read a news article from OneNewsNow.com about a New Mexican couple who are being represented by a Christian law firm, who will appeal a ruling by the New Mexico Human Rights Commission that has fined them for refusing to take photos of a homosexual commitment ceremony.

The article says,

“Elaine Huguenin and her husband Jon, who co-own Elane Photography in Albuquerque, New Mexico, are both Christians. So when a lesbian couple asked them to photograph their “commitment ceremony” in Taos, the Huguenins politely refused. In response, Vanessa Willock filed a complaint with the New Mexico Human Rights Commission claiming the Huguenins discriminated against her because of her “sexual orientation.” On Wednesday, the Commission found the Christian couple guilty of discrimination under state anti-discrimination laws and ordered them to pay more than $6,000 in costs… .”

…. “This decision is a stunning disregard for religious liberty and First Amendment freedoms of people of faith, of Christians, and those who believe in traditional marriage defined as one man and one woman,” says the attorney. “This shows the very disconcerting, authoritarian face of the homosexual activists, who are using these non-discrimination laws as weapons against Christians in the business world and Christians in their churches… . He added that the Commission’s decision is tantamount to the State of New Mexico forcing a vegetarian videographer to create a commercial for a butcher shop.”

I think that last analogy helps put this into perspective. How many times do I have to say this, equal rights does not mean EXTRA rights! The Huguenin’s are being represented by a Christian legal firm, and they are expected to win the case, but even still, look how these activists have twisted the first amendment. Maybe a first amendment review is in order:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Just as homosexuals have a right to have commitment ceremonies, Christians have a right to uphold the Bible and to refuse to condone such activities. It’s not like there aren’t plenty of other people who can take pictures in New Mexico… .

I am not spewing homosexual hate-speech here. If you recall from one of my previous blog posts, Ruth 1:16 and Homosexuality, I was raised in a home with a homosexual parent. I am literally watching my father die from his lifestyle. I still hang out with my dad and I love him. I simply hate his sinful lifestyle choices and what they have done to him.

It’s likely only a matter of time before pastors will be facing lawsuits for preaching against homosexuality in the pulpit under “hate crime” and “anti-discrimination” legislature, and who knows, maybe even certain scripture passages will become illegal… .